Nigeria pushes for AI adoption amid skepticism
Agency Report
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has launched a series of initiatives to position the country as an AI hub.
Recent efforts include a N2.8 billion investment by Google to accelerate AI talent development and an earlier N100 million commitment to the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) AI Fund.
However, critics argue that Nigeria’s infrastructural challenges—such as erratic power supply and limited internet penetration—could impede meaningful progress in the AI sector.
Despite these concerns, the government’s push has attracted significant global interest, signaling a potential turning point for the country’s digital economy.
At the 2024 African Economic Conference (AEC) held in Gaborone, Botswana, Natalie Jabangwe, Executive Secretary of the Timbuktoo Foundation, highlighted that despite strides in digital inclusion, Africa’s foundational infrastructure remains inadequate to capitalize on AI’s potential.
“There is a big buzz and hype about AI, but do we have the technological infrastructure to derive and gain the benefits of this evolution? No, not really,” said Jabangwe.
She underscored the critical role of stable electricity and reliable internet connectivity in building digital capacities that can transform lives.
Adding to this, Alain Ndayishimiye, Head of AI and Machine Learning at Rwanda’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, cited Rwanda’s struggles with early-stage adoption of AI due to infrastructural and regulatory challenges.
“While Rwanda has ambitions of becoming an AI powerhouse, concerns over data quality, privacy, and workforce readiness must be addressed to realize its digital transformation goals,” he noted.
Dr. Pedro Conceicao, co-author of the forthcoming 2025 Human Development Report (HDR), emphasized that Africa could unlock significant benefits from AI if the right policies and infrastructure are implemented.
Unlike in other regions where AI may replace jobs, he suggested that in sub-Saharan Africa, AI is more likely to augment human labor.
“Instead of focusing solely on AI’s capabilities to surpass human potential, we should prioritize policies that enable AI to augment human development,” Dr. Conceicao said.
However, he also cautioned about potential downsides, such as job displacement and the exclusion of underrepresented groups from AI systems.
On the positive side, Dr. Conceicao stressed that AI could reduce barriers to entry in various industries, democratizing access to tools that previously required advanced skills and enabling firms to scale faster.
While Africa’s challenges in adopting AI are substantial, the conference underscored that with deliberate investments and policies, the continent could position itself as a competitive player in the global AI economy.
As Jabangwe succinctly put it, “AI’s transformative potential is enormous, but only if we build the foundation to support it.”
